Color kinescope



June 23, 1953 Filed June 5, 1948 L. W. PARKER COLOR KINESCOPE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' A T TOENE') 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 5, 1948 INVENTOR. 400/5 W. PAIR/(El? ATTORNEY Patented June 23, 1953 COLOR KINESCOPE Louis w. Parker, Little Neck, N. Y., assignor to International Standard Electric Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application June 5, 1948, Serial No. 31,327

6 Claims. (01. 313-47 fied means for registering the cathode ray beam successively with the proper elements.

A further object is to provide a television receiving tube having a tri-color strip viewing screen and in addition to the usual main horizontal and vertical deflecting controls, there is provided separate means for subjecting the scanning spot to a signal-controlled subsidiary deflection.

A feature of the invention relates to a television receiving tube wherein the viewing screen is composed of a series of adjacent parallel linear strips arranged in sets, with the strips of each set designed to produce different light color responses when scanned by a focussed cathode ray beam; and a novel magnetic coil construction is provided for subjecting the spot during each linear sweep to a signal-controlled subsidiary deflection to register it with the proper colored strip of the screen.

Another feature relates to a cathode ray tube for color television, wherein the viewing screen comprises a fluorescent coating designed with adjacent linear elements each composed of at least three strips of different primary color response, and a grid electrode for controlling the dimensions of the focussed beam so that it strikes the screen in an elemental spot which ha the same width as one of said strips; and a special magnetic field producing means is located adjacent the screen to control the subsidiary defiection of the beam.

The above-mentioned and other features and objects of this invention and the manner of attaining them will become more apparent, and the invention itself will be best understood, by reference to'the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a top plan view, partly sectional, of a television tube embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a righthand end view of Fig. l with part of the viewing screen broken away to show its construction more clearly.

Fig. 3 is a greatly magnified view of part of Fig. 4 is a greatly magnified view similar to that of Fig. 3, but showing an alternative control of the dimensions of the scanning spot.

Fig. 5 is a magnified view similar to that of Fig. 3, showing the subsidiary deflection control magnet according to the invention.

Fig. 6 shows one preferred manner of forming the spaced grid wires according to the invention.

Fig. '7 shows the graph of current pulses for controlling the subsidiary beam deflection.

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are respective modifications of the invention.

The tube according to the invention comprises the usual enclosing evacuated envelope consisting of the neck portion l, the flared body portion 2, and the screen or viewing portion 3. Suitably mounted within the neck I is any well-known form of electron gun and beam-focussing electrode array, comprising, for example, the usual electron-emitting cathode 4; the control grid or brilliancy control electrode 5; first accelerating anode 6; and second accelerating anode i. In addition, there are the horizontal beam deflector plates 8, 9; the vertical deflector plates I0, I I; and the usual conductive coating 12 which may be applied to the interior surface of the flared body portion and connected to the high potential end of the D. C. power supply 13. It will be understood, of course, that the anodes 6 and l are likewise connected to suitable points on the supply l3. In the usual Way, the horizontal deflector plates 8, 9, are excited with the saw-tooth deflecting voltage from any well-known source l4; and the vertical deflector plates M, II, are excited from the usual vertical deflection voltage source l5.

Suitably anchored or fastened interiorly of the tube adjacent the portion 3 is a light-transmitting sheet It of glass or mica. In one embodiment the sheet is has cemented to one side by a suitable transparent cement such as sodium silicate, a series of sets of adjacent parallel linear glass strips or slabs, each set consisting of three such slabs and with the slabs of each set of a different light color filter glass. Thus as schematically shown in Fig. 2, each set comprises a red filter strip H, a green filter strip [8, and a'blue filter strip 19. Merely for illustrative purposes, these strips are shown as extending in a vertical direction, for example perpendicular to the plane of the drawing as seen in Fig. 1.

The surface of the assembled light filter strips on the side facing the electron gun is coated with any suitable fluorescent material 20, such as is conventionally used in cathode ray tube screens. Preferably, although not necessarily, this fluoresor'width of OlOlinch an cent coating is of a kind which emits white light when scanned by the cathode ray beam. Preferably, the fluorescent coating 20 is itself coated on the side facing the electron gun with a layer of a conductive metal 2|, for example aluminum of suflicient, thinness to be transparent to the electrons inthe cathode ray beam: r

Ordinarily in black and white television tubes, the cathode ray beam would be focussed so that it strikes the viewing screen in a spot 2; which has a width equal to the width of each linear trace; and if the linear elements are straight, the scanning spot would eiieeiitea straight nee trace along the length of each such element. v In the tube according to this inventien, thescanning spot 22a is focussed and controlled at that its width at the surface of the screen is onethird the width of each tri-color strip, that is to say,, its,width is, equa l to the width of each in- 'dividiial color filtier st'rip n, [8, 19, etc, If t e reeii/ed 't'eleyis'i o'n signals ifepresent the same color throughout the, length er ea'eh vertical i 'ifihe th. 1 3 2% 'ex qh 1 E 1 1 statement from he en'd of thestrip to the other.

Fo ex e. i fi tfi atiafism t e is 1"" v'e'r its enti urf ace, the scanning spot will i -tie pee -eases e; he r tfis h t ue qu s len h t ee the i Wi h h fi sd by vjt f i me i...hqr el e l fi Plates '8, 9, to register with the next 'r'd strip of the succeedingtri-color set. If, however, the color of e. sp n ed linear! el ment a We tr s Chan isiat any p'ointb'etwe'en ends thereof, tb eq hace ar t ive h shot "4 5 sidia'ry horizontal incremental deflection while it is executin'gitsverticalscanning movement e'e "a ye bring t e sp t '2 2a into egistry with the appropriate ic'olor filter strip of the th-eemreet whichisbeing scanned v Infa'ccordanc'e with the invehtion, this subsidiary deflection is effected by setting up a rna'gneti'c field closely adjacent the view gscjreen 'an'd 'arranging its intensity and direction.to cause the required subsidiary fi ti e qr hesqe mee mn oi-den to controlthe width lof [the spot 22;; with -e 'eftidn he the width 'of 'the individual'c'olor light filter strips, there "is interposed in front of 1th n w 91 t e n i et ie et e rid jer l3,i;chaprising lS or parallel stated she a v v M ntedfs o that these w res ex t he perene to the length of the e'eier filterfstifips 17,, late, e c. Thre is sheath in Fig, 3, in greatly jfnagni'fied forth, a "per-tron 'of 'tlitubeafid wherein the fiiildbdfiiiibiil the electron gun isrepresented by the numeral 25. jTheIbeamQas it'a'ifiiv's at "the grid '23, has a width appro iniately "equal to the "distance 'be- 'thefc'enteils e f we e'jeeent grid wires. er exemelegthe wires may hate "a catheter W dshac d'ehart 0.005fnbh. As a result the beam 'zafes it strikes -the sereeh, s its width eauee 'byjtwoethiids, so "that it e color filter strips eeehef e. leer-i e t i u etha e. b n a r 315a isif seq 1. rema fi w d i Wi a free. r im. enga n t e grid el cated very clqse'tothe screen For eirain plefthe distance d (Figs. 1and;'-3 may be one' q' iarter inch, and since the f'ele'ctro'h gun is usually loleast eightoi tenfinche's from the'gun, the emergent "26 does not "el pfeciably spread by the timeit reaehe the'viewmgser'eeh. 'I f desired, the grid wires 24"canbe ersmener "width or diameter the 's'p'a'eetl further apart, "so

as to permit a greater quantity of electrons to pass between adjacent grid wires, and in order to control the width of the spot 22a a relatively small potential can be applied to the grid. wires 23 so as to render them slightly negative with respect to the coating 2|, which coating is connected to substantially the same high positive c. potential as that of the coating [2. This forms curved equi-potential lines between adjacent grid wires, as shown in the dotted lines of Fig. 4, which tend to make the emergent beam 25 convergent and then divergent to the required esgteht=, se that it strikes the screen in the spot 22a of the desired width. It will be understood, of course, that in the embodiment of Fig. 4 the aistahee between the centers of adjacent grid wires is the same as the distance between the centers of the grid wires of Fig. 3, and in each case, the number of grid wires employed will be the than the number of til-color filter strips 611 the screen. lir'other words, there will be the semeheiheer of linear grid spacings or openings as ther are t'ri='c'9lor sets of elements 16h the"oehseb1uent1y, as the beem 'zs is aefie-etea in the direction of the arrows (Fig. 3 or 4), under control of the main deflector plates 8, 9, it ten'ds to scan the first color strip of 'ee-e tri 'coloi set, as represented by the dotiie'sh lined ositions er the eem 26 as shown n igs. Band 4. newer/e1 if the emergeht eamjze is given a subsidiary eflection, as will be described, it ""ill scan the second or third color strip of each set, depending u'p-eh the signal that is "reeeivea. I w

' or example, when the subsidiary deflecting sigh'n {sat 'a aijeh value, the beam "at will scan a red strip; when it is below the 'i 'e'aien "value it will be 'eefieetea -so as to shah a blue strip; and when it is ehefv'ejits jihedieh ve ue it win scan a gre'eh strip. Presents, the subsidiary "or color control ae'fieetibh erg-hm is in the term or square-topped waves as illustrated in -Fig. 7. Since circuit arrangements are wen-known for 'p'r'odu he such sq are-tapped waves, detailed eeeerihtieh t e-reef is not necessary herein. "In Fig. 7, the voltages "for the respective colors are indicated, and the point 'P on the voltage ordinates'ma'y be either zero or itmay be some steady value above zero voltage. h v

I n order to control the subsidiary deflection of the beam, thereis mounted within the oathode ray tube a "e 11 2'! for producing the required magnetic field having the desired deflection characteristics. -Thus, as shown in Fig. 5, this coil-zlfrnay consist 'of a line wire of theorder of 0.004in'ch or lssfwouhd helically around a glass plate '28 :vvhi'ch may-have a thickness of about l).-3f7 ;ihch. Thetufns of the coil 2 may be wound ate pitch of 16 "turns to the inch. -As shewh in'Fig. 5,them'ag'netic'axis of the coil extends perpendicular to theplane of the drawing so that the resultant magnetic field is perpendicular to'the trajectory of theelectron beam 26, the ithere'fofre r'esmts ii1 a sidewise deflection of the'end or thebeam, falsoas indicated in Fig. 5. The "gla'ss block :28 with its 'coil 21 is suitably mounted within theeethjedegraytiib e"1ese1y e21- jacent the viewing em; 3 of the tube and also 'closelyadja cen't the mica plate f6, so thatthe picture can be viewed through the tut-he of the winding 21, but the wire "or "this winning is of such small size that 'itfdoes not interfere withthe visibilitypf the reproduc'ed'imag'e. Theendscr the-coil?! areccnn-eet'ed to Suitable lead-in considiary deflection voltage above described, and present at the output of the television receiver 38.

The magnetic field of the coil 21 looking towards the electron gun decreases approximately as the first power of the distance from the coil when very short distances therefrom are considered. For distances approximating the thickness of the plate 28, for example 0.375 inch, the magnetic field intensity decreases as the second power of the distance. Beyond this point, the intensity of the magnetic field gradually decreases to the third power of the distance. Therefore, it is possible to set up a magnetic field which has the required intensity to effect the required subsidiary deflection of the beam 26 adjacent the reproduc-- ing screen, but the effect of this beam beyond the grid 23, looking towards the electron gun, can be neglected. In other words, the subsidiary deflection to control the color reproduction has negligible effect upon the main deflecting fields of the plates 8, 9, l0, ll.

Preferably at the transmitter the picture is scanned in successive full linear elements for one color and then it is re-scanned successively along each linear element for the remaining primary colors. Thus, during the red color analysis at the transmitter, there Will be produced signals which cause the beam 26 to scan each full red linear strip of the fluorescent screen at the receiver. when the picture at the transmitter is being scanned for blue, the beam 26 will scan the blue strips of the reproducing screen, and likewise for the green scannings. With such an arrangement, the main horizontal scanning rate of the beam 26 may be d8,000. On this assumption then, the fundamental frequency of the waves (Fig. 7) which control the subsidiary defiection, will be approximately 16,000.

Preferably, the reproducing screen 3| which comprises the mica plate Hia with its attached color filter strips, fluorescent coating and electron permeable coating, is fiat or planar in shape; and likewise the grid 23 is flat and its plane parallel to that of the reproducing screen. Since, however, the beam 26 does not impinge on the screen iii always at an angle of 90, this may be compensated for by making the color filter strips 11, i8, IQ, etc. a little Wider as they approach the edges of the screen.

Since the spacing of the grid wires 24 is of great importance, there is illustrated in Fig. 6 one preferred manner of fabricating these wires so as to preserve the proper inter-wire spacing. The grid wire of the desired diameter or thickness is first wound on a form of appropriate shape. During this winding operation, the wire 2-1 is nicked or swaged outwardly at about every inch of its length just before it is applied or wound on to the form. This nicking or swaging results in a flattening of the wire for a short distance, which provides an integral spacing tab or lug 32. These lugs abut against the next adjacent turn, thus making sure that all the turns are properly held in spaced relation. As an additional precaution, and in order to control the accurate size of the lug 32, the wire 24 may be run through a groove before laying down on the winding form in order to hold within the desired limits the protruding length of the said lugs 32.

While in the foregoing embodiments the grid 23 is located relatively closely to the screen 3|, for example 0.25 inch, there is shown in Fig. 8 an arrangement wherein this grid 23 can be located at a much greater distance from the reproducing screen 3|. For example, in the embodiment of Fig. 8, the grid 23 can be located as much as 2 inches from the screen 3|. Surrounding the flared portion 2 of the tube in the region between the grid 23 and the screen. 3|, is any well-known focussing coil 33. This focussing coil is suitably energized so that the electron image which is formed between the wires of the grid 23 by the scanning movement of beam 25, is focussed at its terminating end to the appropriate size and shape on the said screen 3|. Instead of mounting the subsidiary deflecting coil interiorly of the oathode-ray tube, it may be located exteriorly of the tube adjacent the viewing end 3 thereof. This coil may consist of a winding 21 on a transparent support or glass block 23. In Fig. 8, the tube is shown in top-plan view, wherein the linear color filter strips of the screen 3| are shown as extending perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. Therefore, the winding 21 is arranged so that its magnetic axis extends parallel to the length of its color filter strips, namely perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. Since the grid 23 is now located. a considerable distance away from the screen 3 I, it is possible to locate the subsidiary deflecting coil 2? outside the tube. This has some advantage in reducing the cost of assembly and manufacture of the tube itself. It has the additional advantage that it is possible to subject the electrons of the beam emerging from the grid 23, to an additional accelerating and focussing action between that grid and the reproducing screen 3 I Thus, .by separating the subsidiary deflecting region effected by coil 21 from the electron accelerating region, a substantial saving in manufacturing cost of the deflecting equipment can be obtained.

Fig. 9 shows a further modification of Figs. 1 to 5, wherein the subsidiary deflecting coil has half of its winding inside the cathode-ray tube and half of this Winding outside the cathode-ray tube. In this case the lfi-turns-per-inch conductors 21a of the portion of the coil inside of the tube are connected in parallel, and provided. with common lead-ins 34, 34a. This permits a greater separation between the conductors inside: the tube and the conductors outside the tube and. results in less volt amperes being required to ef-- feet the subsidiary deflection of the beam.

While in the foregoing, the reproducing screen has been described as consisting of a transparentbacking plate which carries on one side a series of color light filter strips, it will be understood that a screen such as disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 31,325, filed on even date herewith, can be employed. Such a. screen is illustrated in Fig. 10 and consists of a transparent backing plate 35 of mica or glass, the side of which facing the electron gun is coated with adjacent strips of fluorescent material 33a, 36b, 360, each strip having a different fluorescent response, and corresponding to a respective one of the three primary colors, when bombarded by the cathode-ray beam. Thus, th strips 36a can be of a red fluorescing material; strips 36b of a blue fluorescing material; and strips 360 of a green fluorescing material. This tri-color fluorescent strip coating can then be provided with a coating 31 of aluminum of sufficient thinness as to be permeable to the electrons in the cathode-ray beam. For a detailed description of such a screen and preferred methods of making it, reference may be had to my co-pending application Serial No. 31.325. filed on even date herewith.

While I have described above the principles of my invention in connection with specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and no s a imitati o the scone oi my nvent het s cla med s ara us for produc n color me e omp i i n i a e r rodu in c ee vin its area divided into sets of; dillierent color responsive strips, means to develop a, scanning cathode-ray beam, means to deflect; said beam in a predetermined canningpattern, over said screen independently of color variations, means between said deflecting means and said screen for focussing said beam on one Strip at a time. and other means adjacentsaid screen to cause. said beam to execute, subsidiary deflections; along each scanning pattern trace and in accordance with received color control signals, said screen. being located adjacent one end of'a cathode-ray tube envelope, and said means; todevelop the cathode-ray beam including an electron gun, lo.- cated adjacent the other end of said envelopeand said other means including; a magnetic fieldv producing coil mounted within said envelope adjacent said screen on the side remote. from said gun.

2. Apparatus for producing color images, com-- prising an image reproducing screen. having its area divided into sets of different color respona sive strips, means to develop a scanning cathode-ray beam, means. to deflect said beam in apredetermined scanning pattern over said-screen independently of color variations, means between said deflecting means and said screen for focussing said beam on one strip ata time and other means adjacent said screen to cause said beam to execute subsidiary deflections alongeach scanning pattern trace and in accordance with received color control signals, said other means comprising a plate of light transmittin v material having acoil wound therearound to produce a magnetic field which ismutuallyperpendicular to the cathode-ray beam trajectory and the direction of said; subsidiary beamdefiection.

3, Apparatus for producing color images, comprising an image reproducing screen having its area divided into sets of different color responsive strips, rneansto develop a scanningcathoderay beam, means to deflect saidbeam in a predetermined scanning pattern over said screen independently of' color variations, means be-- tweensaid defiecting means and said screen for focuSSif g 'Sa beam on one strip at a; time and other zne'ans adjacent said screen to cause said beam to execute subsidiary deflections along e hssenn ne pat e n a e nd accordance with received color; control signals, said screen,

beinglccated adjacent one end of a cathode-ray tube envelope, and said means to develop, the cathode-ray beam including an, electron gun lo.-

cated adjacent the other end of said envelope, and said other means including a magnetic field producing coil mounted external to said envelope adjacent said screen on the side remote from said gun, and a plate of light transmitting material located outside said envelope on the side of screen remote from said gun, said coil being wound about said plate.

4,. Apparatus for producing color images, comprising a cathode-ray tube having an electron un for developing a focussed cathode-ray beam, 2. viewing screen inside said tube and comprising; a mica plate having, its side facing the gun provided with a series of sets of adjacent light filter glass strips, the strips of each set having respective primary colorfilter characteristics, a

coating of fluorescent material on said strips facing the gun, a glass plate carrying a fine wire coil and mounted adjacent said mica plate on the; side, remote from said gun, a. grid Within said tube for confining the beam as it strikes said screen to a, width equal to the color filter strip width, and means to energize said coil by color control signals to cause said beam to selectivelyregister with the desired one of the color filter strips in a set.

5.. Apparatus according to claim 4 in which said grid is'mounted closely adjacent said screen, and said glass plate and coil are mounted within said tube between said screen. and the viewing end; Wall of said tube.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4 in which said grid is mountedin substantial spaced relation to said screen, and'said glass plate and coil are mounted external to said tube adjacent the.

viewing end wall thereof, and beam-focussing means. are provided for focussing the beam emerging through said grid on said screen.

LOUIS W. PARKER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,307,188 Bedford Jan. 5, 194' 2,446,249 Schroeder. Aug. 3, 1948 2,446,440 Swedlund' Aug. 3, 1943 2,446,791 Schroeder Aug. 10, 2,458,291 Munster Jan. 4, 1949 2,518,200 Sziklaiet a1. Aug. 8, 1950 2,532,511 'Okolicsan'yi Dec. 5, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 448,896 Great Britain Mar. 10, 1936 103,823 Australia Apr. 26, 1938 866,065 France Mar. 31, 1941 868,403 France Sept. 29, 1941 

